A New Chapter
by quilzel
Summary: A collection of one-shots that I feel are too short for their own thread. I hope to write more on these before attempting a full blown story.


Fane stared up at the ceiling from his bed. He closed his eyes only to open them again in a few moments. He was too excited to sleep. Tomorrow was his 16th birthday. He was now old enough to leave out on his very own Pokémon journey. He had looked forward to this point his entire life.

But as he lay there, the more he realized that his parents would never let him go. The sound of both of his parents saying no every time he had asked them still rang out in his head.. The only reason they even let him get Milou was in hopes that having a Pokémon around would quail his thirst for adventure. Having the Poochyena around only caused Fane to crave it more, especially when he got it to evolve from battling wild Pokémon around the neighborhood. They might have as well just added gasoline to that fire.

Fane wondered if he could somehow trick them into letting him go. But nothing came to mind; He realized that the chances of him going on a journey with their permission were probably slimmer than winning the lottery, and getting struck by lightning at the same time.

In that instance, he realized just what he would have to do. Damn it, he was going on a journey with or without their permission. This was his life, and he was sick and tired of their closed minded, narrow thought path. Just because they had never when on an adventure did not mean that he was going to let them keep him here as he grew old. He rose from bed, disturbing the Mightyena who lay next to him. Fane patted her head as he rose. He quietly and quickly walked over to the dresser and grabbed some clothes that suited him, he tossed them on the bed for now. He then emptied his school back pack. He had not used it since school ended for the summer. Since he had graduated he would not need it anymore, at least not for school.

Fane stuffed a couple changes of clothes into the largest pocket. He grabbed his stash of money that he had been hording 'just in case'. Fane then stuffed any money he could find in his room into one of the pockets on the backpack. He grabbed several small toiletries, and anything else he thought that might come in handy.

Fane laid the backpack on the bed, and pondered for a moment. After shooing Milou off of her spot on the bed, Fane half folded, half wadded a blanket and a sheet. He stood there for a minute tying to figure out how exactly he was going to stuff the blanket in the already full backpack. Fane pulled the money out of the pocket. He organized and counted it. He had enough for a sleeping bag.

Fane placed the backpack on the floor beside his dresser which stood in the far corner, while a much agitated Milou reclaimed her sleeping spot.

Footsteps echoed down the hall causing Fane to panic. Was he caught? He quickly tried to move closer to the bed, but a sharp knock at the door trapped him in the middle of the room. He really was caught. "Yes?" he said weakly.

His father opened the door. Fanes dad was exhausted. He worked long hours at a hard job. His hair looked like something out of a horror story, his face didn't look much better. To add to the drunk look, he was actually drunk. Fane's father stood in the door a few seconds, a blank expression covering his face while he looked at Fane who was standing in the middle of the room with nothing more than his boxers and a muscle shirt on.

"Uh…" Fane's father started.

Thinking on his toes, something he was good at, Fane interrupted his father "Milou woke me up. I think she needs to go out." Fane grinned and rubbed his eyes to show his nonexistent tiredness.

It worked like it did most of the time. Fane easily fooled his dad, especially when he had been drinking. It was almost a game for Fane.

Fane sighed to himself when his father nodded and turned around heading in the direction of the kitchen, probably to get some more wine. Fane's mother was probably in there too. Fane didn't blame them, they where both tired, and probably stressed out too.

Fane was now short on time, his father, and soon his mother would be expecting him to walk through the kitchen in about a minute to take Milou out. He quickly glanced around the room one last time. He was going to make his break now.

Fane slid over to the window and ever so quietly opened it. He stuck his head out the window to check and see if anyone was watching before retreating back inside for his backpack. He then stuck his bag out the window and gently lowered it down as far as he could reach. He then let the back fall the remaining couple of feet. Fane went back to his dresser and grabbed some clothes to wear outside.

Fane was now ready, a lump formed in his throat. He was becoming nervous, his heart raced wildly in his chest, he could feel every pulse in his head.

"_This was it_," he thought, "_now or never_."

Fane slipped on a pair of shorts to fool his parents, should he meet them, into thinking that he was just taking Milou out for a potty break.

"Come on," he said under his breath, trying to keep quite as if nothing was happening. He gestured toward the door and Milou slowly followed. She knew what he was up to. She was smart, and Fane had always confided in her. She listened well, and understood most of it, though Fane never knew the last bit.

Milou did not like what he had was doing, but she was going to stay with Fane whatever he got himself into. He was all she had ever known, and that was not about to be changed. Mightyena and Trainer-to-be slipped though the house, and out of the back door unnoticed. Fane decided that his parents must have wandered off to bed.

Once outside Fane relaxed a little, he was almost free but not yet in the clear. Milou wondered off in the yard to do her business, while Fane went over to his bag under the window.

'Shit!' he cursed to himself, he forgot food for Milou. He hadn't thought of food for himself either.

'I'll improvise', he thought to himself while he slipped into something more adventure like.

Fane slipped on his backpack and walked towards the front of the house. Milou padded up to him just as he reached the road, and together the two disappeared down the block, onto a new chapter of their lives.


End file.
